The Mystery at Greensboro Pet Kennel
The Mystery at Greensboro Pet Kennel By PiperMclean Chapter 1 THE BUSINESS CARD Trudy Sleuth leaped into the bus and handed the driver a dollar and twenty-five cents. "Thank you , ma'am." She scooped up her backpack higher on her shoulders and hiked to the back of the bus. She had just come from an art class with Ms. Melina. In her backpack was her homework (art class homework) , her painting from that class , her notebook , her keys , her phone , and her paint set. She was wearing jean shorts , a light blue paint-splattered tank top , and a purple veil material scarf loosely wrapped around her shoulders. Her backpack had come in the mail white , but she had painted it tie-dye blue , purple , and pink. She had also painted "Peace Is What Girls Do" in a circle around a purple peace sign painted in the center. She sat in the back seat and pulled out her phone. Her mom and dad had gotten it for her on her fourteenth birthday. They said she was old enough now to be responsible for a phone. Now she was seventeen , and eager to learn how to drive. The phone was a flip-out phone. She had put rhinestones on it. They looked pretty on the white background. A purple , blue , and pink braid hung from it where she had glued it. Flipping it open , Trudy dialed her mom's number. The phone rang and rang until she finally had to leave a voicemail. "Hi , Mom , it's Trudy. I'm riding on the bus towards Publix to pick up that mac' 'n cheese for you. Anything else you need? Please give me a ring , thanks!" She shoved her phone back in her backpack and watched for the Publix stop. When it finally came , she hopped out of the bus and scurried to the door. She rushed through the aisles , grabbing a box of macaroni and cheese. Her phone rang. Mom. "Hello?" "Hi , hon , where are you?" "Publix. I got the mac' 'n cheese. Anything else you need?""Grab me a pack of caffeine free coke and I'll let you have a can when dinner." "It's a deal." "Bye!" "Bye!" Trudy hung up. She struggled the coke onto her arms and stumbled to the door. She bought the food and started the trek home. Trudy skip-tripped onto Dixie Drive. When she saw the tall white house with black shutters , she tripped up the driveway and through the kitchen door. Her mom was sitting at her desk on the computer. She was on her most favorite website--Greensboro Pet Kennel. Her mom loved to browse through all of the dogs and cats. Sometimes she found one for her friends and suggested it to them. Sometimes she sponsored a helpless pet. Other times she just liked looking. Whatever the reason , her mom was usually on that web 24/7. "Hon , I have a surprise for you." "What? What , what , what?" "Make the mac' 'n cheese , clean your room , and water the garden and I might consider-" Trudy was already out the door. She watered the garden quickly , zoomed through the mac' 'n cheese , and burst upstairs. Her room looked like this: She also had plenty of Nancy Drew and Hardy Boys posters on her walls. She put her clothes in the dresser , straightened the rug , made her bed , and put all of her books on her bookcase. Finally finished with her chores , Trudy ran downstairs. "Done , Mom!" "Okay , now get the mail." Trudy was bursting with excitement and wonder when she walked back into the kitchen. "I've signed you up to volunteer at the Greensboro Pet Kennel!" , her mom finally said. "Whoo hoo!" , Trudy was beyond thrilled. She was ecstatic! This was a responsibility she had been wanting for months! She had hinted , said straight out , and not mentioned it at all , but they hadn't signed her up until now! She scurried upstairs and texted Megan and Georgia. Trudy Sleuth: Meg , Gia , mom sined me up 4 vlnteer @ pet knnel!!!! :D Meg Shoppe: OMG!!!! reely? Georgia Columbia: Woah , wsh i culd txt mor , but bsktball beckons!!! :) Trudy Sleuth: yah , rite? meet me @ Menchies? Meg Shoppe: ur on Trudy stuck her phone in her pocket and ran out the door. They got smoothies and chatted for an hour. Meg was pretty. She had black hair in a bun , and brown eyes. She was slim and shortish. Georgia , on the other hand , had short blond hair and feisty blue eyes. She was quite tall. Trudy herself was in the middle height-wise. She had brown shoulder length straight hair and eyes that changed from blue to green. Most often they were sea colored. When Trudy got back home , she was as happy as possible. She nibbled at dinner , then went to bed , hoping that she would be refreshed for her first day at the pet kennel. In the morning , Trudy packed her lunch , her phone , her wallet , and her padlock , key , and chain into her tote bag. She hopped onto her bike and rode off , her tote bag waving behind her. She chained her bike to a hook on the wall. It was a great day--she took care of so many dogs! One was sold to a man. It would have costed five hundred dollars , but he gave one thousand carelessly! He was wearing a long jacket , sunglasses , and a hat with a wide pulled-down brim. He had a partner with him , dressed similarly. "Winston , don't go to far with spending it--they might become suspicious" Trudy overheard the Partner telling him quietly. "Chill , Gabe , those pups are our's to deal with" , Winston replied. I was definitely confused. A card fell from Gabe's pocket and floated under the front desk , but I didn't dare dive for it. The grumpy old employee , Mr. Shneck , was standing in front of it , glaring at me. He threw the card in the trash , but I made a mental note to personally throw out the garbage. I scooped up the trash can and grabbed the card before dumping it out. I shoved the card in my pocket. Another mental note was made to use my kit tomorrow. I had a leather satchel bag shaped like an envelope with a long handle on it. It held a magnifying glass , a case of powder and tape , and an instant camera. She had made it out of household items , and meant for it to be her "mystery kit". When her mom asked her how her day had been , Trudy said "Quite well , thank you" , and left it at that. Chapter 2 CRIME-FIGHTING TRUDY Trudy woke up bright and early. She biked to the kennel and opened the door. Someone had left it unlocked. It was so early that no one was there yet , and she had the place to herself. Armed with her kit , phone , and tote bag , Trudy sat on a chair and reached in her pocket for the card. Pulling it out , she read: Clancy's Puppy Mill 891 Mill Rd. Greensboro , NC 70899 A puppy mill! That was horrible to even think of! Trudy put the card in her bag and opened the cash register. In it was the money that the crooks had paid yesterday. Trudy took it out and looked at it. She pulled her almanac out and flipped to a page that says a few ways that government officials identify a counterfeit. She looked and observed the money until she new for sure that it was a counterfeit. It all came together. Trudy sketched a simple plan. She went out and bought some cheap breakfast burrito from McDonald's. When she got back to the kennel , someone was there and the same two mysterious figures were walking in the door. Trudy ran in and fed the dogs for a second. She also locked the door secretly. When the two tried to leave , they couldn't. Trudy quickly called the police and told them to come. They arrived and knocked at the door. Trudy checked for the police car , then opened the door. Winston and Gabe made a dash for it , but the police wouldn't let them leave until I had told my story. "I noticed they tried to hide their appearance , paid way more than natural , and treated the dogs unnaturally roughly once out the door. When Winston dropped the card , I used that key clue to worm out what they were doing. Here's the address" , Trudy handed the police the card. Her brains and cunning had discovered that the crooks had been buying dogs with counterfeit money. Then they sent them to Clancy's Puppy Mill , where they worked. Their boss paid them real money for their "payed robberies" , and the crooks benefitted nicely. The police arrested the crooks and drove off. Trudy worked at the pet kennel for the rest of the day , then went home. "Honey , what on earth happened? I got an email requesting your presence at an interview tomorrow at the kennel! Now what is that for? Why are you smiling!?" , her mom pelted her with questions when she came in. Trudy smiled harder and went to bed. In the morning , she dressed in a very becoming black and white striped shirt and black skirt. She put on white flats and pushed a black headband through her brown hair. Her hand bag was black leather. Her mom drove her to the kennel and walked her in. She sat down and answered questions until five o'clock. The next Sunday , the newspaper grandly stated on the headlines: YOUNG GIRL CRACKS CASE Trudy kept reading. A/N: Here there were two newspaper clippings, but I couldn't load them in, so... It was only praise, anyway. Trudy was enjoying the praise , but she did notice that juvenile was spelled hopelessly incorrectly. She smiled to herself. She could even "sleuth out" spelling mistakes! Her mom walked in. "Look , Trudy! You're in the news! Willhelm Jocks did a good job of spelling everything correctly." Trudy smiled to herself. She would keep that to herself for awhile. . . THE END Category:PiperMclean Category:Stories